The Dining Room

The Dining Room

The tour continues to the dining room of the Wylie House, a space of gathering. In this multi-purpose room, the family would have shared meals, study, and leisure. However, these activities extended beyond the family, as the space was used alongside student boarders and visitors. The presence of boarders, paying for the domestic labor of mothers, contradicts women’s advice that promoted selfless work for the good of the home and family. The intermingling of family and outsiders further defines the home as both public and private, complicating the ideal of the “women’s sphere” yet again.

This room of gathering and intermingling, now, brings the family together again through historical photographs. Nineteenth-century photographs of the family and Wylie women, Louisa, Maggie, and Seabrook bring their history to life.

For more information contact the Wylie House Museum and for more information about the collections at the museum visit Wylie House Museum: Collections Overview.

Wylie House Museum